02-26-2012, 03:45 PM

Is it worth buying a cheap iMac (5/2011) that was water damaged while still in the box?
It does not boot up.
Thanks!

02-26-2012, 08:06 PM

Probably not. Water and electronics don't go well together. See "dropped my iPhone in my beer" thread.

02-26-2012, 08:46 PM

toMACsh,
Normally I'd agree 1000%, but the iphone in the beer is a case of the unit being powered on when it hit the fluid.
However, in this case the iMac was in a box and, obviously, powered off.
I was hoping someone might have tried to fix a wet iMac?
Thanks!

02-27-2012, 08:30 PM

I guess it depends on how much this "water damaged" iMac costs? Certainly if you can get it cheap enough, it might be worth it to buy as a fix it up project.

However, even an iMac that is functional is difficult to work on. As you may or may not know, the entire front panel display must be removed to gain access to the interior of the machine. And in reality, an iMac is a large notebook machine built vertically.

For disassembly instructions go to iFixit: The free repair manual and look up swapping out a hard drive in an iMac (any late model).

Let us know how it went.

02-27-2012, 09:03 PM

Thanks very much for your reply.
I've worked on my son's macbook a few times, and put memory in my iMac, so I can appreciate your advice about the iMac being hard to work on.
One question that I have is the availability and cost of the bad parts I may find inside.
Areparts easy to get, and at a reasonable cost?
Sometimes you run into a part that is so expensive that buying a working model is cheaper.
Thanks again for your response,
Jim

02-27-2012, 09:07 PM

Some parts are cheap and easy. Other parts, like the logic board will almost be the cost of a new iMac.

02-27-2012, 10:11 PM

Like member "Stretch" stated, some parts are easy to find and replace at a reasonable cost while the logic board is not. One thing I should mention... since the iMac is the latest model (Mid 2011) some parts may not be readily available through distributors. Also of note - the hard drive in the 2011 iMac models are proprietary and must be replaced with the exact same drive. The reason is because of the temperature sensor and special cable with connector that's used.

Of course if the hard drive is OK, you need not worry about that.

02-27-2012, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by jimarnett

toMACsh,
Normally I'd agree 1000%, but the iphone in the beer is a case of the unit being powered on when it hit the fluid.
However, in this case the iMac was in a box and, obviously, powered off.
I was hoping someone might have tried to fix a wet iMac?
Thanks!

Do you know this for sure? I have a hard time trusting people online.....Maybe it was plugged in shortly after liquid hit it and it was still wet

03-03-2012, 08:23 AM

I know first hand that moisture and computers do not mix well. I had a Macbook pro and spilled about 1 tsp. of coffee on keyboard. Let me tell you what Apple said it would cost
$600 to detox and clean machine $400 for Labor and another $300 for new keyboard and maybe other parts all told over $1400 bucks. Guess what I did I bought new MacBook Pro and tossed old one in recycle bin...Also bought an ISkin keyboard protector for new MBP..
Best bet is to stay clear.........